Arts, State, and Society: Symphony Orchestra Patronage in New York and the Nation, 1929-1940

The economic crisis of the 1930s placed strain on private patronage of the arts. This paper explores how new considerations about the patronage of American arts developed through the lens of symphony orchestra in New York. Economic conditions led some symphony orchestras to appeal to their audiences for support. The New York Philharmonic did so in a 1934 campaign. Advocates for the campaign promoted a vision of popular patronage reflective of New Deal social messaging and the increased accessibility of orchestra music via radio broadcasting. At the same time, public response to the appeal from audiences, music critics, and other stakeholders in the field of music, presented different perspectives about the role of the popular arts patron, mass support for classical music in America, and the value of that music to society writ large. These perspectives are vital to understanding not only the conditions of symphony orchestra, but also the trajectory of arts funding in the 1930s. Discourse about orchestra sheds new light on conversations about federal arts support in that period and underscores how the system of private patronage was considered in relation to the state in numerous ways.